1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an instrument housing case, which allows an instrument such as a violin or a cello to be readily taken in and out of the instrument housing case even in a limited space.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, various instruments are carried while being housed in a predetermined case. Among the instruments, stringed instruments, such as a violin and a cello, which are long in one direction, are generally housed in the following case.
That is, there has been widely used a case, which includes: a main body case having an longitudinal box shape, which extends along a longitudinal direction of the instrument; and a cover body, which is fixed to one side along a longitudinal direction of the case through hinges so as to be opened and closed. Further, by opening the cover body in a lateral direction with respect to the main body case, the main body case is opened so as to allow the instrument to be taken in and out of the case.
As the laterally-openable case described above, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2006-220945 to be described below discloses a musical instrument storing case. Specifically, the musical instrument storing case is provided with: a main body case (box body) having a top opening; a covering body which covers the top opening; and a shock absorbing material which has a storing section having side walls that are formed to approximately match with a shape of side surfaces of a main body section of a musical instrument and is stored in the box body. The musical instrument storing case is further provided with a shock absorbing material moving system for causing a movable section, which is a part of the storing section side wall of the shock absorbing material, to move to an approaching direction with respect to the side surfaces of the main body section of the musical instrument, the movable section being movable to the approaching direction and a separating direction with respect to the side surfaces of the main body section of the musical instrument stored in the box body. Even in the musical instrument storing case, the musical instrument is taken in and out of the musical instrument storing case after the covering body is laterally opened with respect to the main body case.
However, in the instrument housing case in which the cover body is laterally opened with respect to the main body case, there are following problems. That is, when players take out of their instruments in a concert hall or the like, it is necessary to laterally open the cover body after the longitudinal main body case is disposed on an appropriate position. However, the concert hall or the like has a limited space for dealing with the instrument because of presence of the other players, their instruments, and the like. Therefore, it is difficult to ensure an appropriate space for disposing the main body case, and it is sometimes difficult to taken out of the instrument.
Further, the above-mentioned instrument housing case is generally provided with fasteners for retaining the cover body in a closed state with respect to the main body case. However, there is risk in that, in a case where the instrument housing case is lifted up in a state in which the fasteners are left unlocked, or in a case where the fasteners are forced to be unlocked during conveyance, the cover body is widely and laterally opened with respect to the main body case with a result in which the instrument falls out of the main body case.
In addition, the above-mentioned instrument housing case has a structure in which the cover body is widely and laterally opened with respect to the main body case and is closed with respect to the main body case in such a manner that a limb portion of the cover body comes into contact with a limb of an opening portion of the main body case. However, it is relatively difficult for peripheral wall portions, which are opened and closed and come into contact with each other, to ensure their stiffness, and hence those portions need often to be increased in wall thickness. That leads to an increase in weight of the instrument housing case.